..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Lukaku can take United to another level in place of Ibrahimovic – Neville

Former Everton captain Phil Neville believes Romelu Lukaku has what it takes to improve Manchester United following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Everton star Lukaku is believed to be on the verge of reuniting with United manager Jose Mourinho after Goal reported a £75 million bid for the 24-year-old Belgium international striker had been agreed.

Antonio Conte and Chelsea were reportedly frontrunners for Lukaku – who scored 25 goals in the league last season as he finished just behind Golden Boot winner Harry Kane – but United appear to have hijacked the Premier League champions in their move.

A switch to Old Trafford would see Lukaku team up with Mourinho again after he was sold by the then-Chelsea boss to Everton in 2014, while uniting him with close friend Paul Pogba.

And Neville – who spent eight years at Goodison Park having emerged from United's youth system – feels the younger and improved Lukaku can help United become more dangerous in transition after 35-year-old Swede Ibrahimovic was not retained by the club following a serious knee injury.

"I think you've seen an improvement, I think there were of couple of criticisms - can he play in big games? Can he score in the big games? I think he half dispelled that last season," Neville told BBC Radio Five Live.

"He scored in a couple of the big games and I think he is improving all the time. I think he's a different type of striker from what United have had for a long time, someone that can probably run in behind, can be a little bit of a battering ram, that United can play on the counter-attack.

"I think with Zlatan last season United couldn't play on the counter-attack because obviously his age and the fact his legs are slowing down a little bit. Now you've got someone with genuine, genuine speed that United can play on the counter-attack.

"It will be interesting to see how he fits into this United team because there's a lot of talk about 'Jose sold him, didn't play him at Chelsea', but that was four or five years ago. Romelu Lukaku is a different player now, he is a better player. His record actually is sensational. I mean 25 goals last year, 18 the year before. If you go back to his West Brom days when he was on loan there from Chelsea [he scored] 17 Premier League goals. If he gets anything like 17 to 20 this year United will be successful."

 

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Lacazette reveals Coquelin role in Arsenal switch

Arsenal fans owe a debt of gratitude to Francis Coquelin after Alexandre Lacazette revealed the midfielder helped convince him to sign for the Gunners.

Lacazette completed his move to the Emirates on Wednesday for a reported club record €60million, the striker signing a long-term deal with Arsene Wenger's side.

The France international had looked set for Atletico Madrid before the LaLiga side were handed a transfer ban, and Arsenal took full advantage to strengthen their attacking options.

He arrives in England on the back of his most prolific season, scoring 37 goals in 45 games across all competitions, but needed some words of advice from former youth international team-mate Coquelin before signing on the dotted line.

"We've had a lot of contact over the last few years and even more over the last few weeks, of course, since it became increasingly likely that I would come to Arsenal," he told Arsenal Player.

"He has said only good things about Arsenal, which is not surprising because he wanted me to join the club. Even without that I still really wanted to come here.

"He stressed that it was a great club located in a fantastic city. He said I would not regret my decision to move here because of the people I'd be working with and, of course, the fans."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona and Real Madrid step up chase for Ceballos

Barcelona and Real Madrid have both contacted Real Betis over the availability of midfield starlet Dani Ceballos, club president Angel Haro has confirmed.

Ceballos has become hot property since the end of the 2016-17 campaign after starring for Spain in the European Under-21 Championship in Poland.

The Clasico rivals have both been linked with a move for the 20-year-old and have officially approached Betis regarding a transfer.Ceballos has kept silent on his future and Haro expects the youngster to remain with the club despite interest from the Blaugrana and Los Blancos.

"We continue to work with the idea of him staying at Real Betis but it is true that we have been called by Real Madrid and Barcelona," said the president."We do not expect him to leave until he tells us that he wants to.

"[On Tuesday] we spoke about how the Euros went and that we still want him to continue with us, but the decision is his.

"He's got two weeks' vacation but we think he'll make a decision before then."

Haro was speaking at the presentation Antonio Barragan, who will spend the season on loan at Betis from Middlesbrough.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi donates leftover wedding food and drinks to charity

Barcelona star Lionel Messi ensured nothing went to waste after his wedding as he donated leftover food and drinks to charity, according to Rosario Food Bank director Pablo Algrain.

The who's who of football descended on Rosario last week as Messi tied the knot with long-term partner Antonella Roccuzzo in their home town.

Barcelona team-mates Neymar, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique, and Dani Alves, Sergio Aguero, Cesc Fabregas, Angel Di Maria, Xavi and Carles Puyol were among the stars to celebrate the marriage – dubbed the "Wedding of the Century" by local media – long into the night in Argentina on Friday.

There was plenty of food and drink left over, though it did not go to waste thanks to the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his wife."It all arrived to the store and we're controlling it," Algrain told Efe . "We don't yet know quite how much there is."

Algrain continued: "We explained to the wedding organisers that we can accept soft drinks and snacks, but that we'd have to change alcoholic drinks for money because we cannot accept them."

Messi is honeymooning with his new bride and kids after signing a new contract with Barcelona, tying the 30-year-old to the La Liga giants until 2021 .

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter complete €20m signing of Sampdoria star Skriniar

Inter have completed the signing of Sampdoria star Milan Skriniar on a five-year deal.

The Nerazzurri have reportedly paid close to €20 million for the 22-year-old after allowing forward Gianluca Caprari to move the other way last month as part of the deal.

Skriniar is Inter's first major signing of the transfer window following the earlier arrivals of youngsters Nicolo Zaniolo and Jens Odgaard and goalkeeper Daniele Padelli.

The defender made 35 appearances for Samp in 2016-17, becoming the youngest defender to do so in a single Serie A season.

The Slovakia international started all three of his side's matches at the European Under-21 Championship in Poland and was included in UEFA's Team of the Tournament.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Arsenal fear Alexis will push through Man City move

Arsenal fear Alexis Sanchez is determined to leave the club this summer and are now braced for a bid from Manchester City, Goal understands.The Gunners had hoped to persuade Alexis to extend his current contract, which expires next summer, or at least to sell him abroad as a last resort.

But sources close to the situation have informed Goal that the Gunners are now deeply concerned they will lose the Chile international to City following talks with his representatives.

Alexis' future had been on hold while he participated in the Confederations Cup, though Arsenal had prepared a huge pay rise in an attempt to keep him at the Emirates Stadium.The Gunners now believe there is little chance of him even listening to their offer.

Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich had explored the possibility of signing the 28-year-old in recent months but he wants to be reunited with Pep Guardiola, who coached him for one season at Barcelona. Any rumoured move by Inter, therefore, is destined for failure.

City have long been confident they will eventually get their man and it is now thought unlikely that the Gunners will hold Alexis to the final year of his contract and lose him on a free next summer.

Alexis insisted last Friday that he had made a decision on his future, while his international colleague and City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo made it clear that a transfer will be discussed.

"Of course I would love to have him as a team-mate," he said. "But it's not a matter just for the two of us. It's something the clubs have to go through."City have not yet made a formal bid but Arsenal are now preparing themselves for an official approach in the coming weeks.

Guardiola has made Alexis his top priority this summer and the Blues, having initially been happy to bide their time, will want to secure his signature as soon as possible.A bid of £50 million may be necessary to persuade Arsenal to sell, albeit reluctantly.

Sources close to the City hierarchy are concerned Arsene Wenger will delay the deal for as long as possible, perhaps with a view to depriving Guardiola of the Chilean's services for the opening games of the Premier League season.Though this saga is set to run for several more weeks, City are ready to officially announce the signing of Dani Alves.

The Brazil right-back agreed a two-year deal with City over a fortnight ago but Guardiola was happy for him to enjoy his holidy before flying into Manchester to put pen to paper.

City are back in pre-season training on Monday and they expect to have Alves on board before their fly to the United States for the International Champions Cup on July 17.

The Blues are still working hard to tie up deals for full-backs Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Ryan Bertrand, as well as a centre-back.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Barcelona cool Verratti interest as PSG stand firm

Barcelona have cooled their interest in signing Marco Verratti, with PSG adamant that they will not sell the midfielder this summer.

Barca had been pursuing the Italy international as a potential marquee acquisition this summer, even placing a valuation of €80 million on the 24-year-old.

Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu believes that the player would "love" to move to Camp Nou, but accepts that a deal is unlikely due to PSG's refusal to hold talks.

"Clubs want to negotiate. Look at Verratti, for instance, a player we're interested in signing, the coaches believe he is good enough to play in Barca's midfield," he told Mundo Deportivo.

"We know that the player would love to come to Barca but when you call PSG and you talk with the president [Nasser Al-Khelaifi], he says that he's not for sale and there is no release clause.

"As such, the president can decide if he feels like negotiating with us or not. In this sense, Spanish football is defenceless. Here, there are release clauses and there, there aren't.
"As such, the president can decide if he feels like negotiating with us or not. In this sense, Spanish football is defenceless. Here, there are release clauses and there, there aren't "And outsiders can come and pay and we can't. So for now, we've not sat down with PSG, despite the player's willingness to come to Barca. We must accept it."We had it before with Cesc [Fabregas], when Arsenal did not want to hold talks with us for a year. They told us by letter and we had to accept it.

"If Verratti had a clause, we could go for him. There is no formula. If you don't want to sell something..."The player has said that he wants to leave but PSG tell him he'll be able to go only when his contract ends."

Verratti’s agent Donato Di Campli told Corriere Dello Sport this week that he would meet with chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi to discuss the player’s future, but a source close to Al-Khelaifi has denied this to Goal, insisting the club’s sporting director Antero Henrique is in charge of player purchases and sales.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi exchanges tax sentence for €250,000 fine

Lionel Messi has had his 21-month prison sentence for tax fraud lifted and exchanged for a €250,000 fine.

The Argentina international and his father, Jorge Horacio, were found guilty of three counts of tax fraud last July, with the pair failing to pay €4.1 million owed from image rights.Neither has spent time in prison, however, with Spanish law dictating that any defendants without previous convictions serve sentences of under two years on probation.

That period has now ended, with both men having had their sentences lifted and exchanged for fines.Messi's father, who was originally sentenced to 15 months in prison, will now be forced to pay €180,000.

The news comes two days after Barca's announcement that their star man had agreed a new contract that will take him through to 2021 at Camp Nou.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan complete €24m Conti signing

Andrea Conti has completed his move from Atalanta to AC Milan, becoming the Serie A side's seventh signing ahead of the new season.

Andre Silva, Hakan Calhanoglu, Mateo Musacchio, Ricardo Rodriguez, Franck Kessie and Fabio Borini have all switched to the San Siro, while coach Vincenzo Montella has agreed a new contract.

Conti, who has has penned a five-year deal at San Siro, won his first full Italy cap in May's friendly thrashing of San Marino.

The Rossoneri have reportedly paid €24 million to secure his services, taking their summer spending past €150m.

The right-back started 31 Serie A games last season as Atalanta finished fourth in the table, two places above Milan, qualifying for the Europa League as a result.

Moving the other way from Milan to Atalanta is Matteo Pessina, a 20-year-old left-sided midfielder who featured for Italy at the Under-20 World Cup, the Azzurri reaching the semi-finals before losing to England.Conti will be reunited with Kessie after the midfielder also left Atalanta for Milan.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

AC Milan upcoming season 1ke hoda fight 1kak dei Serie A Title 1kata​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Aubameyang set to remain at Dortmund - Zorc

Borussia Dortmund expect to begin the Bundesliga season with star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still at the club.

The 28-year-old finished last campaign as the leading scorer in Germany's top flight with a stunning 31-goal return but his future has since been shrouded in uncertainty.

Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian are among the sides to have been linked to the Gabon international's services.

Aubameyang's repeatedly stated desire to represent Real Madrid at some stage in his career also lends little stability to his status as the star attraction at Signal Iduna Park but Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc believes he will remain under new head coach Peter Bosz.

Dortmund returned to pre-season training on Friday and the close proximity of the 2017-18 campaign means Aubameyang has limited time remaining in which to make a move away, according to Zorc."For now, we assume that Aubameyang will stay," he told WAZ."We arranged with him that we are open for talks but only until a certain point of time."

Dortmund face Bayern in the DFL-Supercup on August 5 and begin their Bundesliga campaign away to Wolfsburg two weeks later after a DFB-Pokal tie at Rielasingen-Arlen.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Brave Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery dies aged six

Brave Sunderland fan Bradley Lowery has died at the age of six after a fight against neuroblastoma, his family has confirmed.Bradley touched football fans across the world after repeatedly appearing as a mascot for Sunderland during the 2016-17 season.

He formed a remarkably close bond with striker Jermain Defoe, with the England international regularly visiting Bradley and his family, both at home and in hospital.His family confirmed the tragic news on Friday. Bradley was "surrounded by family" when he died, they said.

"My brave boy has went with the angels today 07/07/17 at 13:35, in mammy and daddies arms surrounded by his family," a post on the Facebook page 'Bradley Lowery's fight against neuroblastoma' read.

"He was our little superhero and put the biggest fight up but he was needed else where. There are no words to describe how heart broken we are."Thank you everyone for all your support and kind words. Sleep tight baby boy and fly high with them angels."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

R.I.P Bradley Lowery!​

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[Wolverine GTR]

Mata looking forward to reuniting with Lukaku at Man Utd

Romelu Lukaku's arrival at Manchester United could provide the firepower the team need to challenge for the Premier League title, believes Juan Mata.

The Spaniard was at Chelsea with Lukaku and manager Jose Mourinho before the striker moved to Everton, with United having been linked with a £75 million move for the Belgium international – although recent reports suggest the Premier League champions have matched that bid.

Lukaku trained alongside Manchester United star Paul Pogba at UCLA to increase speculation about his future and Mata has spoken about the prospect of Mourinho's side signing the 24-year-old.

"We played together for Chelsea and he [Lukaku] has had a lot of good seasons at Everton," Mata told Marca."He knows the coach well and scores a lot of goals, which we hope he will carry on so we can try to win the league."

Mourinho has reportedly grown frustrated with the lack of transfer activity at Old Trafford - Benfica defender Victor Lindelof is the only arrival so far - but Mata believes the Portuguese is already busy planning for their meeting with Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup on August 8.

"I think Jose is already thinking about the final - and has been since Real [Madrid] won the Champions League," Mata said."The coach wants to win the trophy whilst in charge at United and although Zinedine Zidane had an incredible year in charge, we will try to create problems for them.

"We played very well in the [Europa League] final against Ajax, we won and that has now given us the path into the Champions League."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea match Lukaku bid in last-ditch attempt to hijack Man United deal

Chelsea are desperate to land Romelu Lukaku and have matched Manchester United's massive bid in an attempt to lure the striker back to Stamford Bridge.

Lukaku had appeared set for Old Trafford when it emerged a blockbuster offer of £75 million had been accepted by current club Everton. But Chelsea will not give up on their top striking target, as Goal understands they have made an identical bid to United's.

The delay in making a formal offer, however, means the Red Devils remain in the driving seat for Lukaku, who bagged 25 goals in last season's Premier League campaign.News of United's push was not well-received in west London, where the Belgium international has long been linked with a return to his former side.

Some reports even claimed the failure to land Lukaku had strained manager Antonio Conte's relations with the Chelsea board, after being assured his transfer ambitions would be matched in the current window.

The Blues will keep up their interest until the bitter end, but have compiled a shortlist of alternatives should their last-minute sortie fail to succeed.

Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata is one of the men considered as a potential replacement for Diego Costa, who has been declared surplus to requirements by Conte and is expected to move away this summer. Ironically, Morata had been tipped to join Jose Mourinho at United, and it was the club's frustration at the stalled move that led them to turn their attention instead to Lukaku .

Torino sharpshooter Andrea Belotti is another target for Conte, who knows the striker well from his time in Serie A on the other side of Turin with Juventus.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Chelsea la Lukaku ge bid 1ka match karala.dan thamai wade thiyenne

Lukaku ge athe thamai theeranaya thiyenne​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Shakespeare claims Mahrez will be dropped if he is not committed to Leicester

Leicester City expect full commitment from Riyad Mahrez and will drop the winger if he does not show it, while the Premier League club have still not received any offers for the star, manager Craig Shakespeare says.

Mahrez confirmed his intention to leave the 2015-16 Premier League champions by releasing a statement in May, with Arsenal reported to be among the clubs interested.

But despite Arsene Wenger making complimentary comments about the Algerian, Shakespeare said Leicester have not had any bids for Mahrez and will not select him if he is not focused on his game.

"It can be disappointing when players go public with it but I think you have to understand the modern game," Shakespeare said."Sometimes outside influences are secondary behind that and there can be reasons for that. Him coming out, we know where it stands, but ultimately he's contracted to the football club.

"He has to be professional. We have to be professional with him. But more importantly he has to be committed and I think he has to show supporters, staff and players that."If he's selected, he has to perform and, if he doesn't show commitment, he won't play. He's got a contract with us, so he has to understand that."

Although Arsenal are reportedly keen on a deal for Mahrez, Shakespeare reiterated that Leicester are yet to receive any offers for their star winger."We haven't had any bids and, if we don't have one, we've got no decision to make. Knowing him as I do, I think with Riyad he was just trying to be as honest as he can [with his statement]," he said.

"Of course it can disappoint the fans but I need to really sit down with him one-to-one and see where he's at in his head and how he feels. I've always had a decent relationship with him.

"But if players want to go, ultimately they have contracts and they have to honour them. If they want to go and we get a bid, we'll reflect on it."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Rooney set for Everton medical

Rooney Everton join wei wagedan ethakota Rooney ge replacement 1ka kawda?

James / Nainggolan?
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[ObeliX]

Rooney Everton join wei wagedan ethakota Rooney ge replacement 1ka kawda?

James / Nainggolan?
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May be James .£75 million for Lukaku they should have tried to sign Harry Kane.
Man utd or Man city dinnana oni premier league me sare spend karana hatiyata

 

[Wolverine GTR]

May be James .£75 million for Lukaku they should have tried to sign Harry Kane.
Man utd or Man city dinnana oni premier league me sare spend karana hatiyata

Apo ow gana nam wadi godakKane nam enne naha bro.Tottenham la kiyala thibba sell karanne naha kiyala.Lukaku / Morata or Belotti thamai godakma target karan hitiyeth.Ath habai Lukaku ge price 1kanam wadi kohomath.

btw Roo ta yanna dunnu 1ka gana nam dukai & dan wade thiyenne Roo ge replacement 1ka kawda kiyana 1ka​